CALGARY -- Head coach John Hufnagel hasnt always been satisfied with the performance of his Calgary Stampeders in games this sea

CALGARY -- Head coach John Hufnagel hasnt always been satisfied with the performance of his Calgary Stampeders in games this season, but he cant argue with the results. JaVale McGee Lakers Jersey . Calgary tops both the league and the West Division at 9-2 and is the first team this season to secure a playoff berth. "Weve won in different fashions, but we won as a team and thats the good part," Hufnagel said Monday. "We dont always hit on all cylinders offensively, defensively sometimes were on the field too much, special teams were not as productive as wed like to be, but as a team, one phase has been outstanding to allow us to peck out wins. Thats essentially the sign of a good team." The Stampeders have worked for their wins with a constantly rotating cast of characters. All CFL teams deal with injuries in a season, but the theme of Calgarys season so far is resiliency. The employment of three different starting quarterbacks has been well documented, but the Stampeders have also been forced to cover gaps on the offensive line, at receiver and in the defensive backfield when starters went down. It begs the question how much better Calgary would be if they werent routinely plugging holes in their lineup. "Its hard to improve under those conditions," Hufnagel said. "When you have new people in your lineup, then theres an adjustment period. "Our offensive line has been a scramble all year long. Im hoping that before the season is over we can get our five in there and get a couple games underneath our belt to head into the playoffs. "Same with our quarterback position. With three different quarterbacks playing, its the same playbook, but like Ive always said, each quarterback brings their own personality." Calgarys 26-22 win over Hamilton combined with the Saskatchewans 31-29 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on the weekend allowed the Stampeders to gain sole possession of first place in the West. A 25-7 Edmonton Eskimos victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers eliminated the possibility Winnipeg (2-9) could finish ahead of Calgary in a crossover playoff scenario. The Esks, last in the West at 2-9, also cant catch Calgary because the Stampeders won the season series between the teams. The Stampeders host defending league champion Toronto, the East Division leaders at 7-2, on Saturday in a rematch of last years Grey Cup. The Stampeders are unbeaten at home at 5-0. Calgarys win over the Tiger-Cats on Friday was by no means a classic. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell struggled early, but marched the Stampeders downfield with two minutes remaining to score the eventual winning touchdown. The defence that had given up 408 passing yards to Hamiltons Henry Burris sprang to life on the last drive of the game. Sacks by Charleston Hughes and Cordarro Law helped prevent the Ticats from countering with a winning score. Mitchell, 23, was Calgarys third string quarterback in training camp. Hes won his three starts with veterans Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn on the sidelines with injuries. Hes also come onto the field to preserve wins when Glenn has gone out of the game. While Mitchell entertained reporters in the Stampeders dressing room post-game, Glenn walked by chanting "All we do is win. No matter who is playing. We just win." Hufnagel said he allowed himself scotch and a cigar post-game, but that was in celebration of his 62nd birthday. One of the teams big recent improvements is in sacks, with 23 in the last four games. Hughes and Winnipegs Alex Hall were tied for first in the league with a dozen sacks apiece ahead of Law with nine. Receiver Maurice Price has also been an impact player since his return from a hamstring injury with four touchdown catches in the three games. Running back Jon Cornish, who has achieved 1,000 rushing yards for a second straight season, and the consistency of field-goal kicker Rene Paredes, are the constants for Calgary this season. Field goals can feel like settling for less on some drives, but two misses by Hamiltons Luca Congi on Friday reinforced the importance of Paredess contributions to Calgarys bottom line. Paredes set a CFL record of 39 consecutive field goals before missing his first of the season Aug. 24 in Toronto. He was 12 for 12 in his last three games. If he can maintain his 97.2 per cent completion rate, Paredes will break the single-season record of 94.3 held by B.C.s Paul McCallum. "Rene has been exceptional with his field-goal kicking and his ability to put it through the goal posts has really determined the outcome of a lot of our football games," Hufnagel said. "One of the reasons we are in first place is because of Renes consistency." The coach expects both Glenn and fullback Rob Cote returning to full practice this week after knee and shoulder injuries respectively. Offensive linemen Dan Federkeil (groin) and Dimitri Tsoumpas (concussion) remain out. Receiver Joe West (shoulder) is close to returning, but has two games remaining on the nine-game injured list. "We know we need to improve in all areas and hopefully I can get the guys back that have been injured who have been starters at the beginning of the year and get them playing good football," Hufnagel said. "If they dont return, well get better with the guys we have." Jerry West Jersey .J. -- Rampage Jackson scowled, howled, then bellowed to the crowd: "Im back! Im back!" With rebuilt knees and a new promotion, Jackson might have one more act left in MMA. Vlade Divac Lakers Jersey . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/Customized-Jersey/ . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.VANCOUVER -- Goaltender Roberto Luongo expects to return to the Vancouver Canucks lineup soon and should be back in game shape in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Luongo took part in his first workout with the team Wednesday since suffering a "lower-body" injury Dec. 22 against Winnipeg. "This is my first team practice, so Im feeling good," said Luongo after a morning skate in advance of Vancouvers game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. "Everythings progressing really well right now." Luongo indicated the problem is not overly serious, but was still not healthy enough to play against Tampa Bay. Eddie Lack drew his third straight start, and fourth appearance since Luongo got hurt, while minor-league call-up Joacim Eriksson was given the backup assignment. Speaking to reporters for the first time since he was sidelined, Luongo revealed how he got hurt, but would not disclose the extent of the injury, other than to say it was a lower-body problem. "It was an Evander Kane shot down the wing that originally got me a little bit," said Luongo. "I tried to stay in the game a few more minutes and then kept feeling it during the play and felt it again on another shot." Luongo left the game late in the first period during a TV timeout after consulting with trainer Mike Bernstein. "After one of the TV timeouts, I made him aware there was a bit of an issue there, so he knew something was going on," said Luongo. "Sometimes those things subside, and sometimes they (dont). So I tried to keep playing until the next TV timeout pretty much and I went to the bench again annd spoke to Bernie. Shaquille ONeal Lakers Jersey. " Luongo indicated he could return to Vancouvers lineup in the next few days. He added Fridays full practice with the team, as opposed to the light morning skate, will be important in determining his status. The prognosis indicates that he will be ready to play for Canadas Olympic team at Sochi in February. Meanwhile, Canucks coach John Tortorella said defenceman Dan Hamhuis should be selected to play for Canada in Sochi. Hamhuis, who attended Canadas summer orientation camp, has been one of Vancouvers best defenders this season. He logged 32:30 of ice time, while recording two assists, in a loss to Philadelphia on Monday. "(Playing in the Olympics) would be an awesome opportunity," said Hamhuis, a 31-year-old, Smithers, B.C., native. "Ive had the opportunity (to play for Canada), I think, seven times now. It never gets old. So Id love for an opportunity to do it at the Olympic level." Hamhuis has represented Canada in the junior and senior world championships, but a longed-for chance to play in the Olympics has eluded him. "Its always a great experience playing for Hockey Canada, and to do it at an Olympic level would just be that much better," he said. "To play with and against the best players in the world is every kids dream, and something I was hoping to do in 2010, but missed my opportunity. The team was very successful, and I would love to be a part of it this year." Note: Tortorella said Luongo and injured defencemen Alex Edler (undisclosed) and Andrew Alberts (upper-body), and winger Alex Burrows (jaw) are listed as day to day. ' ' '